waterRIDE started as a software development environment for writing tools to service the floodplain management industry in the early 2000’s. The environment was designed to remove the complexity from highly technical flood modelling results, and allow all stakeholders to meaningfully discuss the implications of the modelling. In this, the ability to present, visualize, and analyse large volumes of time-varying modelling datasets was crucial!
Given that modeling results are very much “real-world”, the highly visual nature of GIS was an ideal environment for the analysis of such datasets. However, the inability of conventional GIS platforms to accommodate integrated time-varying surface datasets was the key driver for the development of the waterRIDE platform. Modelling datasets, whilst still valuable in isolation, take on a new level of worth when integrated with GIS datasets to determine the meaning, or impact of the modelling.
waterRIDE was developed to overcome these limitations of conventional GIS. A fully self-contained, GIS engine was created from scratch to accommodate integrated time-varying spatial data, forming a key part of the waterRIDE environment. As a result, waterRIDE applications do not require third party GIS applications to operate, although most conventional GIS dataset formats are fully supported by waterRIDE.
The word waterRIDE is an acronym for water resources integrated development environment, representing the original concept. waterRIDE has evolved to encompass a number of other fields where visualization and analysis of time-varying spatial data is relevant. Whilst access to numerical modelling results remains a key focus, the tools are increasingly being used for presentation of GIS data and parametric models, and for field data capture.
From the core waterRIDE platform, a number of off-the-shelf software modules have been developed to service particular industries, as well as a range of tools and customized applications servicing a variety of industry sectors.
waterRIDE is developed from an engineering perspective, by practitioners in the fields in which the tools are used. The waterRIDE development team consists of engineers from a range of disciplines including civil, computer, coastal engineering.
Worley has decades of experience in delivering projects, with extensive expertise in engineering, procurement and construction across the full asset lifecycle, from creation of new assets to sustaining and enhancing operating assets.